Mixing-machine-charging hopper.



3. C. FRENCH.

MIXNG WACHINE CHARGING HOPPER.

APPUCATION HLED OCT. 18 1917- Patented Sept. 10,1918.

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J C. FRENCH.

MIXING MACHINE CHARGING HOPPER.

APPLICATION FILED 0CT.I8,1917- v 1 ,278, l 3 1 Patenfl-wlSept. 10, 1918..

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'a'enns o. rnnuon, or onroneo, rttrnois, assrenon 'ro recession 0. AUSTIN or CHIGAGQ, ILLINOIS.

MIXING-MACHIHE-CHARGING HOPPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed @ctober 18, 1917. Serial No. 197,213.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMEs C. FRENCH, a'citizen of the United States of America, and resident'of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Maxing-Machine-Charging Hoppers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to charging hoppers for mixing machines, or for other machines, of that. kind in which the hopper 'is mounted to swing up and down, belng.

arranged to rest upon or close to the ground when in position to receive the materials, and being raised into an inclined position when it is desired to discharge thqmaterials into the machine. Y

Generally stated, the object of the invention is to provide an improved tilting or swinging hopper of character.

A special object is to provide an improved construction and arrangement tendmg to facilitate the operation of the hopper, and tending to render it more durable and less liable to get out of order, as well as better calculated to discharge the materialspromptly and quickly into the machine, in the desired or necessary manner, as will -ereinafter more fully appear.

It is also an object to provide certain de tails of construction tending to increase the general efiiciency and se'rviceability of a charging hopper of this particular character.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, the invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of mac ine provided with a D embodying the principles of said invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan of said machine.

As thus illustrated, this invention coinprises a vehicle or portable body 1%. upon which is mounted the rotary mixing receptacle B, the latter being of any suitable or well-known type or form. as shown, the mixing receptacle has an inlet opening at its front side 1 and an outlet opening at its rear side 2, so that the mixture is discharged by the usual spout 3 in the wellknown manner. A frame C is also mounted on the vehicle body. The mixing machine is operated by an engine 1), of any suitable a mixing charging hopper theforegoing general character, connected in an desired manner with the mixing receptao e B, so that the latter is rotated to mix the materials. Also, the rear Wheels 4.- of the vehicle body are driven by said engine through the medium of suitable connections. In this way, the mixer may travel along the street and'is adapted for use for various purposes, such as the mixing of concrete for paving or sidewalks, or for building purposes.

The hopperE has the general form of a pan, and is pivoted at e upon the arms F, there being two of these arms, one at each side of the machine, and said arms being pivoted at 7 upon a transverse shaft supported in brackets 5 mounted on the body of the vehicle. The pivot e hasopposite end ortions 6 which are adapted to engage the limpers 7 on the frame of the machine, when the ho per is raised (see dotted lines in Figure 1 and whereby the upward movement of the arms F is limited. The outer and lower ends of these arms are provided with a transverse element 8 which engages the bottom of the hopper, thereby to limit the relative movement between the hopper andthe arms about the pivot e, and whereby the hopper is sup orted on the arms when raised. The ea le G engages the sheave 9 on g and also the sheave 10 on the top of the frame 0, and has one end thereof secured at 11 to said frame adjacent said last mentioned sheave. The other end portion of said cable is wound upon the drum 9, which is suitably mounted on the vehicle body, and which is operated in any suitable manner by power communicated thereto from said engine. Therefore, when the cable G is operated, the hopper E is raised, but the weight thereof keeps the bottom of the hopper against the transverse member 8, of the tilting support formed by the arms F, in a manner that will be readily understood. in this way, the hopper E and the arms l swing upward about the transverse axis provided by the pivot shaft f, and this condition is maintained until the hub portions 6 strike the bumpers '4', which latter are near the intake opening l of the mixing receptacle. As soon as this occurs, the upward movement of the arms F ceases, but the continued operation of the cable G serves to pull the hopper E upward a little farther, as it is free to tilt about the pivot e until the. materials are dis .4

Patented Sept. id, 11918.,

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charged into the mixing receptacle. in this way, a bumping action is obtained, and a final tilting of the hopper is insured, suflicient to insure a quick discharge of the .5 materials into the receptacle, as soon as the hoppcr reaches its discharge position. This is advantageous, it will be seen, as otherwise the materials inight stick in the hopper and refuse to slide downward therein, and in such a case some of the materials would travel back to the ground with the hopper. Also, with the hopper pivoted at e, the lower end of the support formed by the arms F, and Which lower end is formed in part by the transverse member 8, may rest upon the top of the bod A, at the end of the latter, but the hopper can assume a position in accordance with the surface or the ground below it-that is to say, it can rest on an elevation Which will tilt it upward a little from the position shown in the drawings. In such case, the support formed by remains in its tilted posithe two arms 1 tion, with its lower end resting on the body A but the hopper is adapted to rest on the cross-member 8, i1 there is nothing below the hopper, or may rest directly on the ground it such is desirz ble. It Will also be seen that the pivot 0 is maintained above the horizontal plane or" the stationary axis f, as the arms F rest upon the body' of the machine when the hopper E is iii-loading position, In his Way, the horizontal and tZEiliSYGlSG axis provided by the pivot 6 can remain stationary while the hopper E is tilted upward by hand, or by resting on an elevation on the ground; but the pivots end various axes are so relatively arranged, it will be seen, that a pull on the cable swings both the hopper and its support upward in unison without any elative motion between them until the bumper is reached, and support reinaius stationary while the hon tilts a little farther, lilaterials are sl reled 1* a s 7 -1 W. l 1:0 or i ieeleo into tne hopper and soon i .HNMQ" as a load is accunnlated tne hopper 1a raised L .13 '-I g tinto tilt} CUSC" position net col.

lOltilS here 1:31

ranged practically directly above the axis f, whereby the axis or pivot e is sutiiciently over or past the center, so to speak, when the arms l are raised against the bumper, to hold. the hopper in discharging position. in other Words, the axis (2 moves upward to a point Where it is directly over the axis 7 and then moves a distance beyond and out of line vertically with said axis before the bumper is reached. in this Way, the hopper steadies itself in. discharging position, and the arms F do not tend to tail backward while the discharge is taking place. l hen the hopper is lowered it moves downward until it rests against the flat top or surface of the support formed by the arms lb and then the hopper and support swing down together about the P in this Way, the hopper has two axes o inent, one (the axis f} being stations. the other (the axis a) being movable ELIAS Vii hat claim as in invention is: l, The combination of a body, means to provide a horizontal axis on said body, a tilting support on said axis, a hopper pivoted on said tilting support, whereby said hopper has both a stationary axis movable axis about which to swing up and down, said tilting support having a rigid tion serving as a stop to limit relative inoveinent etween sai hopper and said su'ooort one direction, each. axis being dis seed in lined relation to said stop, whereby h able axis is maintained a d distance the stationary axis, lifting" connect' plied to the hopper to raise the ho o the tilting support unison by movement thereof about said stationary axis, means to sustain the Weight of said siipport in lo position, and a bumper to engage lug support to limit the upwa motion thei -co, so that said here its stationary "/able dista ce tile said M per has both a stationary axis and a movper being movable a distance into discharge able axis about which to swing up and position while said tilting support is held down, said tilting support having a portion stationary by said bumper, and a stop to 16 serving as a stop to limit relative moveengage and thereby limit the downward ment between said hopper and said support movement of said tilting support, so that in one direction, each axis being disposed in sand hopper can be tilted upward while said fixed relation to said stop, a lifting connectilting support remains stationary in lowtion applied to the hopper to raise the hopered position. 20 per and the tilting support by movement Signed by me at Chicago, Cook county, thereof about said stationary axis, a bumper Illinois, this 3rd day of October, 1917.

to engage said tilting support to limit the upward swinging motion thereof, said hop- JAMES C. FRENCH. 

